• Understanding Obesity
• Measuring Obesity
• Calculate Your BMI
• Causes of Obesity
• Health Risks
• The Costs of Obesity

Understanding Obesity

Obesity is a life-threatening disease affecting millions of Americans. About 31.4% of adults in the United States are obese.¹

It's important to understand the difference between the terms overweight and obese. Overweight refers to an excess of body weight compared to set standards. The excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water. Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat. A person can be overweight without being obese, such as a bodybuilder or an athlete who has a lot of muscle. However, many people who are overweight are also obese.¹

Measuring Obesity

The most common measurement of obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI). While your BMI doesn't measure actual body fat, it tends to correlate well with the degree of obesity. It should not be used alone for diagnosis but can be useful as a general guideline.

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Calculating your BMI

You can also calculate your BMI using the following calculation:

BMI = [Weight in pounds ÷ height in inches²] x 703

Below are the obesity categories adopted in 1998 by the National Institute of Health (NIH)².

Morbid obesity greatly increases the chance of developing health conditions that can result in significant physical, mental, and social disabilities. It can also lead to premature death.

Morbidly obese individuals with a BMI of 40+ or severely obese individuals with a BMI between 35 and 40 with weight-related health problems may be candidates for weight loss surgery.

Causes of Obesity

Obesity is not a sign that a person is out of control. It is a complex, chronic disease.

Many things can contribute to this condition, such as:

• Energy balance - your body may take too much energy from food - more than what your body needs can lead to weight gain. This depends on your level of activity and your metabolism.
• Heredity - you have a higher risk of obesity if it runs in your family.
• Metabolic disorders - if your body's metabolism changes, it may affect your energy balance and weight.
• Eating and social habits - An unbalanced diet, snacking between meals and too little exercise can all lead to obesity.
• Psychological factors - Social and emotional eating are among the main causes of excessive weight gain.

Any one or a combination of these factors can lead to obesity. Inherited conditions can't be changed, but you have the power to change your behavior patterns and improve your own health and well-being.

Health Risks

Obesity is associated with about 112,000 deaths each year in the United States relative to healthy-weight individuals¹. In fact, it is more harmful to your health than smoking and alcohol abuse³. In addition, obesity is a major risk factor for serious medical conditions (comorbidities), such as⁴:

• Type II diabetes
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Breathing difficulties
• Cancer
• Joint problems

The good news is that by losing weight, you can improve, prevent, or lower your risk for these weight-related health conditions.

The Costs of Obesity

The national cost of this disease is very high. Based on 1998 estimates, annual medical costs to treat patients who are overweight and obese were approximately 79 billion, or 93 billion in 2002 dollars. The healthcare cost burden of being obese now rivals that of smoking.⁵

The personal cost of living with obesity can also be significant. Consider what you might spend on the following items:

• Out of pocket healthcare expenses
  • Over-the-counter medication costs
  • Co-pays for doctor office visits
  • Co-pays for lab work
  • Co-pays for specialists
  • Co-pays for physical therapists/allied health professionals
• Prescription co-pays
• Employment inactivity costs (days of missed work)
• Non-surgical weight loss programs (such as WeightWatchers^® or Jenny Craig^®)
• Grocery and dining costs

These expenditures quickly add up. You may find that dramatic weight loss can greatly reduce your weight related costs.

WeightWatchers is a registered trademark of WeightWatchers International, Inc.
Jenny Craig is a registered trademark of Jenny Craig, Inc.

References:

1. Weight-Control Information Network (WIN); an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Statistics related to overweight and obesity. June 2007. Available at http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm. Accessed May 2, 2007.
2. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Web site. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_home.htm. Accessed April 2006.
3. Sturn R. The effects of obesity, smoking and problem drinking on chronic medical problems and health care costs. Health Affairs. 2002;21(2):245-253.
4. Weight-Control Information Network (WIN); an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases (NIDDK). Do you know the health risks of being overweight? Available at http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/health_risks.htm. Accessed May 2, 2007.
5. Finkelstein EA, Feibelkorn IC, Wang G. National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: how much and who’s paying? Health Affairs: The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere. May 14, 2003. Available at http:/content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/fulfill/hlthaff/w3.291v1.DC1. Accessed July 6, 2007